Method of and apparatus for butt splicing coated fabric



V E. HENLEY June 13, 1967 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUTT SPLICING COATED FABRIC 8 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed Oct. 21, 1963 INVENTOR. .Eo Z2 Vu'gll y ATTORNEYS.

June 13, 1967 v. E. HENLEY 3,325,328

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUTT SPLICING COATED FABRIC Filed Oct. 21, 1963 8 Sheets-Sh et E:

INVENTOR. \9 I Virgil E. Henley BYWZ$7IQLQBMQ)W ATTORNEYS.

June 13, 1967 v. E. HENLEY 3,325,328

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUTT SPLICING COATED FABRIC Filed Oct. 21. 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTQR. T irgil E. Henley- Ma MJ/QM vim N ATTORNEYS.

June 13, 1967 v. E. HENLEY 3,325,328

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUTT SPLICING COATED FABRIC Filed Oct. 21, 1963 8 $heetsSheet 4 t f r q I i 3 M4 22 I w \w {205% I I,

\"4 I 50 (7 M 50 J5 3 5/ 93 Hi 2 fr 5/ i A INVENTOR Virgil E.Henley UmK I, M,W

ATTORNEYS.

June 13, 1967 v. E. HENLEY 3,325,328

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUTT SPLICING COATED FABRIC Filed Oct. 21, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Vi lE.HenL Fzg 7. BY gi ATTORNEYS- V. E. HENLEY June 1", 1967 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUTT SPLICING COATED FABRIC BSheets-Sheet 6 Filed Oct. 21 1963 PRESSURIS ACCUMULATOA INVENTOR.

irgll .E.Henley h fl y ,M

val MM ,4 TTOAP/VE Y5 June 13, 1967 v. E. HENLEY 3,325,323

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUTT SPIJICING COATED FABRIC Filed 001:. 21, 1963 8 Sheets-Sheet v INVENTOR. Virgil E.Henley 7Z@E7, W,7kmlmf rmhjlw'l ATTORNEYS.

June 13, 1967 v. E. HENLEY 3,3 5,323

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUTT SPLICING COATED FABRIC Filed Oct. 21, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 I f j P PULL Roam FEED I15 I PULL L JI M PULL ROLLER ROLLER 3 3 Mar-0L? M0701? I08 mw web 3 2 e g/gagg e: (2) (4) SPL ICING JAWS /4 (a) as (I) r/ML DEQ'IYREdAY a (SHOW/v )A PRE-SMRr/N co/vo/r/a/v) INVENTOR Virgil E-Henley United States Patent 3,325,328 METI-IGD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR BUII SPLICING (IGATED FABRIC Virgii 1E. Heale Akron, Ohio, assignor to The General Tire 8; Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filied Get. I, 1963, Ser. No. 317,556 18 Claims. (Cl. 156-457) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for splicing sheet material edge-wedge and particularly to a machine for splicing together pieces of tire cord fabric to provide strips of indeterminate length suitable for use in building pneumatic tires.

The invention is particularly applicable to the splicing of pieces of cord tire fabric to form strips with parallel transversely extending cords suitable for tire building. Tire cord fabric is made by a calendering operation that forms a thin sheet in which closely spaced longitudinal cords are imbedded in uncured rubber. Since it is necessary that the cords of a tire extend transversely from head to bead, it is common practice to use pieces of socalled bias cut cord fabric severed from a calendered sheet by parallel transverse cuts. The cuts may be at any desired angle up to 90 with respect to the longitudinal cords depending on the angularity desired in the tire carcass. In order to simplify the tire building operation machines have been designed for splicing together the edges of the bias cut strips that are parallel to the cords to form spliced strips with parallel transversely extending cords that are of a width corresponding to the perpendicular distance between the cut edges. Because of the limited area of the edges of the thin sheets to be joined, difficulty has been experienced in obtaining a smooth edge-to-edge splice of sufficient strength for convenient use in fabricating tires on tire building drums.

By the method of the present invention an improved splice is obtained by positioning the edge portions of the sheet material to be spliced in planes inclined to one another, bringing the edges into contact While so inclined and pressing the edges, one against the other, while the inclined edge portions are being moved angularly into alinement. The edge portions of the fabric are preferably held during the splicing operation by grippers shown and described in the patent to Breth et al., No. 2,254,596, granted Sept. 2, 1941, but which are mounted for relative angular movements so controlled that the contacting edges of the sheet material are held in full contact during their angular movement in the position of alinement where the gripped edge portions lie in the same plane. When the edge faces to be joined are brought into engagement they are engaged first along their bottom edges so that the initial flow of rubber is upwardly into the space between the cords adjacent said edge faces and the final pressure in the aligned position serves to check the flow of the rubber and provide a rubber bonding layer under uniform pressure throughout the depth and length of the edge faces.

For application of pressure the two pairs of grippers are mounted to pivot about spaced parallel axes like the links of a toggle from an upwardly inclined position where the edges to be joined are spaced apart toward the horizontal dead center position to enter the gripping fingers of one pair of jaws between the gripping fingers of the other pair and press the edges of the sheet material together. The movements of the jaws are so controlled that alinement is maintained between the edges to be spliced and the gripping pressure on the sheet material is regulated to avoid excessive clamping pressure on the material during the splicing operation.

The lower splicing jaws have top faces which form 3,325,323 Patented June 13, 1967 part of the bed over which the material is moved and means is provided for properly aligning and spacing the edges to be spliced while the grippers are in their uppermost stock receiving position. The invention also includes a novel feed mechanism for feeding the bias cut pieces to be spliced into the tire building strip and a novel takeoff mechanism is provided for advancing the spliced strip and for repositioning the strip in the splicer head after each splicing operation. An important feature of the invention is the automatic control of the feed mechanism, the take-off mechanism, the stock positioning devices and the splicing mechanism during each. splicing cycle.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, FIGURE 1 is a plan view with parts broken away of an apparatus for butt splicing rubber coated tire cord fabric embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1 and taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the splicing head with parts broken away and shown in section;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view of the splicing head shown in FIGURE 3, taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 3 and showing the splicing jaws in their open,

' stock receiving position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary transverse section of the splicing head shown in FIGURE 4- taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, and showing the splicing jaws in their closed splicing position;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2, and showing the shiftable mounting arrangement of the stock take-01f assembly;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 77 of FIGURE 1, and showing the mounting arrangement of the brush rollers on the stock feed conveyor assembly;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 5 showing the interfitting finger arrangement of the lower splicing jaw grippers when in the closed splicing position;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary top elevation showing a length of spliced rubber coated tire cord fabric material, wherein the tire cords run diagonally across the sheet, parallel to the line of splice;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 1tl]l0 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the splicing head shown in FIGURE 3, taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, and showing the splicing jaws in their open, stock removing position;

FIGURE 12 is a schematic drawing of the pneumatic system used in the apparatus of the present invention;

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary side elevation of the splicing head showing the cam member at one end thereof;

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary end elevation of the splicing head showing the cam member shown in FIG- URE l3; and

FIGURE 15 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical control system used in the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown an apparatus for butt splicing the uncut edges of rubber coated tire cord fabric pieces severed by straight parallel transverse cuts from a calendered strip in which the cords are disposed parallel to the longitudinal edges of the strip to form a spliced strip in which the cords extend transversely at an angle to the longitudinal edges of the spliced strip that corresponds to the angle of the lines of severance to the longitudinal edges of the calendered strip. The lines of severance may be at right angles to the cords in which case the cords extend at right angles to the side edges in the spliced strip or at an acute angle corresponding to the desired angular disposition of the cords in the spliced strip to be used in the building of tires.

As shown in FIGURES l and 2, the apparatus comprises a frame A, a stock feed assembly B, a stock takeoff assembly C, and a splicing head D that provides sup port for a toggle action splicer unit E in which the pieces of sheet material to be spliced are gripped along the edges to be joined by swinging grippers that are moved like the links of a toggle toward a dead center position to press together the edges to be joined.

The frame A is constructed of suitable structural materials and is adapted to support the other assemblies at a suitable height above the fioor. The stock feed conveyor assembly B includes means for feeding the severed pieces of cord fabric to be spliced into the splicing head with the edges to be spliced in proper alignment. The stock take-off assembly C includes means for advancing the spliced strip to pull the newly spliced section of the strip through the splicing head after each splicing operation. The stock take-off assembly C also includes means for repositioning the trailing edge of the most recently spliced section of the spliced strip in the splicing head for splicing to another severed piece of fabric.

As herein illustrated, the splicing head D is mounted intermediate the ends of the frame and extends across the apparatus at an angle parallel to the direction of the cords in the cut fabric which is to be spliced.

The spliced strip resulting from the operation of the splicing apparatus shown is best illustrated by FIGURES l and 11 which show a length of rubber coated tire cord carcass material composed of bias cut pieces of cord fabric spliced together at their edges, which are parallel to the cords to form a continuous strip suitable for tire building having the parallel cords running diagonally across the strip.

The splicing head D comprises a mounting base 1 supported by the frame A. Resting on the base 1 are two tubular metal beams 2 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Mounted on the beams 2 are end plates 3 which support end brackets 4 used for mounting the upper or top portion of the splicing head.

Also mounted on each end plate 3 are two pairs of shaft receiving bearing members, each pair comprising transversely aligned members 5 and 6 which serve to pivotally support the swinging grippers of the splicing unit E. As shown in FIGURE 3, two bearing members 5 are mounted at each end of the splicing head D adjacent the end brackets 4, and two bearing members 6 are mounted at each end of the splicing head inward from the bearing members 5. The four pairs of bearing members 5 and 6 each have axially aligned shaft receiving openings which receive a pivot shaft, three of which are indicated by the numeral 7. The fourth shaft which differs somewhat from the other three, as will be explained, is indi cated by the numeral 7a in FIGURE 13. Each of the pivot shafts 7 and 7a has an end portion 8 of reduced diameter that projects inwardly from its inner bearing member 6 towards the center of the splicing head D. In assembled relation, each shaft 7 and 7a is coaxial with another shaft 7 at the opposite end of the splicing head.

Rigidly mounted on each shaft 7 and 7a, between each pair of the bearing members 5 and 6 is a pivot block 9 which is connected to the shaft to turn therewith. Washers 10 are interposed between the pivot blocks and the adjacent bearing members 5 and 6 to restrict sidewise movement of the pivot blocks 9.

Attached to two of the pivot blocks 9 on each side of the longitudinal centerline of the splicer head D are upper clamping jaws 12 and 13 of the splicing unit E. The upper jaws 12 and 13 extend inwardly toward one another from their supporting blocks 9 and are arranged to pivot about the axes of the shafts 7 and 7a between an upper stock receiving position as shown in FIGURE B 4, and a lower splicing position as shown in FIGURE 5.

Stock grippers 14 and 15, preferably in the form of metal plates, are mounted on the upper jaws 12 and 13 and extend along their inner edges. The gripper 14 has spaced projecting fingers 16 at its inner edge that interfit with corresponding fingers 17 of the stock gripper 15 as indicated in FIGURE 5. With the jaws 12 and 13 in their upper position, however, the fingers are completely separated as best shown in FIGURE 4.

Pivotally mounted on the inwardly projecting end portion 8 of each of the shafts 7 and 7a is a bearing sleeve 18 which is rigidly mounted in a recess 19 in a pivot block 2% Attached to the two pairs of pivot blocks 20 on opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline of the splicer head D are the lower splicing jaws 21 and 22, The lower jaws 21 and 22 are mounted in opposed relation to one another and arranged to pivot about the axes of the shafts 7 and 7a between an upper stock receiving position as shown in FIGURE 4 and a lower splicing position as shown in FIGURE 5.

Stock grippers 23 and 24 similar to the grippers 14 and 15 are mounted on the lower jaws 21 and 22 and extend along their inner edges to provide the lower jaws with gripping faces opposed to the gripping faces of the upper grippers 14- and 15. The stock grippers 23 and 24 have spaced projecting fingers 25 and 26 at their inner edges that are disposed in interfingering relation. The fingers 25 of the stock gripper 23 interfit with the fingers 26 of the stock gripper 22 as indicated in FIGURE 8. The grippers 14, 15, 23 and 24 of both the upper and lower jaws preferably have opposed roughened or serrated faces 27 to provide for better gripping of the stock.

The upper and lower jaw on each side of the longitudinal centerline of the splicing head D form a pair of splicing jaws having opposed grippers for gripping between them the end portion of a section of stock adjacent the desired line of splice. The extending fingers of each pair are matched so that the fingers 16 of the upper jaw gripper 14 are opposed to the fingers 25 of the lower jaw grip-per 23 and the fingers 17 of the upper jaw gripper 15 are vertically aligned with and opposed to the fingers 26 of the lower jaw gripper 24.

When the pairs of jaws are moved to their upper positions as shown in FIGURE 4, they are spaced apart to receive between them the end portions of the material to be spliced. After the stock is properly positioned be tween the jaws the jaws are closed on the stock to tightly grip the pieces -to bespliced adjacent the edges to be joined. After the pieces to be joined are so gripped the pairs of jaws are simultaneously moved downward to the approximately horizontal dead center position shown in FIGURE 5 to press together the edges of the pieces of tire fabric to cause the uncured rubber to adhere throughout the length of the splice.

After the splicer unit has been held in the position shown in FIGURE 5 for a sufiicient time to insure effective splicing, the upper jaws 12 and 13 are swung to their upper position as shown in FIGURE 11, after which the newly spliced strip may be pulled through the splicer head D preparatory to a new splicing operation.

Attached to the end brackets 4- is a cross beam 23 which provides a support for the upper portion of the splicing head D and which extends longitudinally and centrally of the head D. A second beam 2? beneath and extending downward from the beam 28 has brackets 30 attached to its opposite ends for mounting a stock aligning bar 31. The stock aligning bar 31 is beneath the beam 29 and extends longitudinally of the head D and tapers downwardly to provide a narrow lower edge that lies between the inner edges of the upper grippers 14 and 15 when they are in their uppermost positions as shown in FIGURES 4 and 11 to provide a means for aligning the edges of the pieces of stock to be spliced when the stock is initially positioned in the splicing head D. The side faces of the aligning bar 31 have grooves 32 to receive the ends of the fingers 16 and 17 of the upper stock grippers 14 and 15, as shown in FIGURE 3 to provide for unobstructed pivotal movement of the upper splicing jaws 12 and 13.

The lower splicing jaws 21 and 22 have smooth top faces over which the pieces of sheet material to be spliced may be moved into engagement with opposite sides of the aligning bar 3]; when the jaws of the splicing unit E are positioned as shown in FIGURE 4. After the edges of the pieces to be spliced are positioned agaist the opposite sides of the bar 31 the upper jaws are moved downwardly to the position indicated in FIGURE 2 to grip the pieces to be spliced and the grippers which are disposed like the links of a toggle are then swung simultaneously downwardly to the position shown in FIGURE 5 while the edges to be joined are maintained in horizontal align,- ment and their contiguous edges are subjected to the toggle action thrust of the grippers to firmly adhere their edges along the line of splice. After a suitable dwell that insures sufficient flow of the plastic uncured rubber to form a firm and uniform splice, the upper jaws 12 and 13 are raised to the position shown in FIGURE 11 while the lower jaws 21 and 22 remain in their lowermost position to permit the spliced strip to be advanced far enough to move the trailing end of the strip past the aligning bar 31. The lower jaws 21 and 22 are then raised to the positions shown in FIGURE 4 to reset the splicing unit for another splicing operation. Suitable means are provided for actuating the splicing jaws to efiect the movements above described.

Mounted on the top of the beam 28 are two parallel longitudinally extending stringers 33 and 34. Attached to the stringers 33 and 34 are four longitudinally spaced air cylinder mounting brackets 35, each of which supports a pair of air cylinders 36, disposed one to the front and the other to the rear of the beam 28, the four pairs of cylinders serving to operate the upper splicing jaws 12 and 13. Each bracket 35 has front and rear bearing brackets 37, that receive pivot pins 38 which are attached to the upper end of the cylinders 36 to support them for swinging movements at right angles to the beam 23.

The pistons 39 are pivotally connected to their lower ends of brackets 40 by means of pivot pins 41, disposed parallel to the pivot pins 38, the brackets 46 being attached to the upper splicing jaws I2 and 13 to lower or raise them as shown in FIGURES 5 and 11.

The splicing jaws I2, 13, 21 and 22 are independently pivoted for movements between their uppermost and lowermost positions. The upper splicing jaws 12 and 13 are actuated solely by the cylinders 36 which serve to lift the jaws I2; and 13 independently of the lower jaws 21 and 22 to their uppermost positions which may be at the upper limit of movement of the pistons 39 and to apply a downward thrust to the jaws to apply clamping pressure to the sheet material to be spliced and to apply a downward pressure to the lower jaws 21 and 22. Suitable means is provided for imposing a variable downward resistance to the downward movement of the jaws 21 and 22 to regulate the pressure applied to the stock during the splicing operation. Adjustable means is provided for limiting the downward and upward movements of the lower jaws and for returning the lower jaws from their lowermost position shown in FIGURE 5 to their uppermost position shown in FIGURE 11.

Located between the mounting beams 2 is a bed plate t2 that is supported on blocks 43 carried by the base 1 adjacent its opposite side as shown in FIGURE 3. The bed plate 4 2 provides support for a plurality of inflatable pneumatic bags 44 which serve to apply the desired yielding resistance to the downward movement of the jaws 21 and 22 during the splicing operation and which may be inflated to return the lower jaws to their uppermost position shown in FIGURE 11 after completion of each splicing operation.

A thrust transmitting member consisting of a fiat hori- Q zontal base plate 45 that rests on the bags Ml and a longitudinal vertically disposed jaw engaging web 46 that is rigidly attached to the top of the plate 45 centrally thereof serves to transmit the downward thrust imparted by the cylinders 36 to the bags 44 so that the downward movement of the jaws is yieldingly resisted by the air in the bags and an upward thrust can be exerted by the bags on the lower jaws 21 and 22 to return them to their uppermost position after the completion of the splicing operation.

The web 46 is positioned directly beneath the positioning bar 31 and its top edge engages the inner edges of the lower splicing jaws 21 and 22 simultaneously to maintain the grippers 23 and 24 in horizontal alignment during the vertical movement of the jaws.

The lowermost position of the lower splicing jaws 21 and 22 is determined by adjustable stops 47 mounted in vertical sockets 48 fixed to the base plate 42 as shown in FIGURE 3. The ends of the web 46 slide in vertical guides 49 that hold it against endwise, lateral and tilting movements during its up and down travel. The uppermost position of the lower jaws 21 and 22 is determined by adjustable stop screws 50 that engage with the top faces of bars 51 attached to the beams 2, as shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURES 13 and 14 show the cams on the shaft 711 that operate control switches in response to movements of the upper splicing jaw 13. The shaft 7a has a greater length than the three other shafts 7, and extends through the end bracket 4a.

The shaft 7a has an end portion 52 of reduced diameter to which is fixed a cam member 53 which turns with the upper splicing jaw 13 and which is in the form of a segment extending upwardly from the shaft 7a.

The top peripheral surface portion of the cam member 53 engages switch actuating rollers 56 and has raised cam portions 54 and 55 at opposite ends of said peripheral surface as shown in FIGURE 14 which actuate rollers 56 which serve as trips for control switches.

The stock feed assembly B which conveys the transversely cut pieces of cord fabric to the splicing head D includes a series of narrow, parallel feed belts 6t) which extend longitudinally over a feed table at and which are best shown in FIGURES l and 2. The belts dd pass over drive rollers 62 at the receiving end of the feed table fill which are driven by suitable means such as a drive belt 63 running over a drive pulley 64 attached to the end of a drive shaft 65 to which the drive rollers 62 are attached.

Adjacent the splicing head, the belts 6t) pass over a series of idler rollers 66 which are mounted on bearing members 67 carried by adjustable supports 68 which are positioned in a line extending across the assembly at approximately the same angle at which the splicing head D is set, and which may be adjusted to conform to any angle at which the splicing head D may be set. The feed belts 6t) travel over the table 61 from the drive rollers 62 to the idler rollers 66 and back over a second group of rollers 69 located beneath the conveyor table 61. As shown in FIGURE 2, each feed belt 60 then reverses direction and passes over a tension roller 70 which is mounted on a pivoted arm 71 and which is actuated to maintain the feed belt at under tension by suitable means such as a coil spring 75 mounted on a rod 76 attached to the frame A and which bears against the arm 71 to keep the feed belt 71 under a desired tension.

The belts 60 form a stock conveyor which moves at a uniform speed toward the splicing head D to deliver the pieces of fabric to the splicing head D. In order to guide the pieces of stock to the splicing head with the edge to be spliced parallel to the aligning bar 31 a straight guide rail 72 is located at the left hand edge of the stock feed table 61 which is engaged by the left hand edge of the incoming pieces of stock. In order to keep the pieces of stock in proper engagement with the guide 'rail 72 idler rollers '73 are mounted between the feed belts 60 to rotate about axes at a small angle to the axes of the rollers 62. In order to maintain a slight lateral thrust on the pieces of sheet material sufficient to maintain them in engagement with the guide rail 72 but not enough to create wrinkles in the sheet material, the peripheries of the rollers 73 are provided with bristles 74 that project slightly above the belts 69 to engage the bottom surface of the pieces of sheet material being fed to the splicer.

The stock take-off assembly C includes a take-off table 77 that is slidably mounted for movement toward and away from the splicing head D. The table 77 is guided for limited longitudinal movement by means of tubular guides 78 and 79 which slidably receive rods 80 and 81 to which the take-off table 77 is attached. As shown in FIGURE 7 the guides 78 and 79 are mounted beneath opposite sides of the table 77 and are of different lengths proportional to the distances of the opposite ends of the splicing head from the delivery end of the table. The guides '78 and 79 are connected by one or more spacer bars 82 and provide a mounting unit which may be detachably connected to the frame A to permit substitution of other mounting units to accommodate splicing heads of different angularity. The backward and forward shifting of the take-off table 77 is provided for by means of an air cylinder 83 pivotally mounted at one end to the frame A and having its piston pivotally connected to a cross bar 84 attached to the take-off table 77. At the delivery end of the stock take-off table 77 a pull roller 85 is mounted on a transverse shaft 86. A pulley 87 attached to one end of the shaft 86 may be driven by a belt 88 to advance the spliced strip after each splicing operation. To prevent slippage between the driven roller 85 and the spliced strip, an idler roller 89 is positioned above the roller 85 to press the same against the roller 85.

Adjacent the splicing head D a metal guide strip fit) is spaced slightly above the table 77 and extends across the same parallel to the longitudinal axis of the splicing head D. This strip limits upward buckling of the strip adjacent the splicing head. Some slack in the portion of the spliced strip lying on the table 77 is desirable to avoid stretching said strip during the downward movement of the splicer jaws. A wrinkler bar 91 is mounted on the table 77 outwardly of the guide strip 90 and adjacent thereto. The opposite ends of the strip 98 and the bar 91 are rigidly mounted on said table as shown in FIGURE 1. The bar 91 is disposed parallel to the guide 90 and splicer head D and under the spliced strip to provide a buckle or wrinkle in the spliced stock that extends across the strip along a line parallel to the line of splice and to the reinforcing cords so that the necessary slack is so disposed that the pull on the splicer strip during the splicing operation is reduced to a minimum and is uniform across the width of the strip.

During the splicing operation the pieces of cord fabric being joined are firmly gripped and pressed together edgeto-edge in such manner that a substantially uniform spacing of cords is maintained. As shown in FIGURE 4, the gripping fingers of the splicing jaws initially engage edge portions of the fabric pieces in which a plurality of the parallel cords are located. During the initial portion of the splicing stroke while the gripping fingers of one pair of splicing jaws are entering between the gripping fingers of the other pair of jaws, the fabric is firmly gripped to hold the cords against displacement due to the edgewise pressure on the edges to be joined. The pressure is applied in each of the spaces between the gripping fingers between a clamped portion of one piece and a portion of the other piece lying between the gripping fingers so that the yieldability of the edges lying between the gripping fingers prevents excessive pressure of cord against cord. Toward the end of the splicing stroke the clamping pressure is reduced so that there may be some slippage between the grippers and pieces being spliced.

After the tail end of a newly spliced section of stock passes through the splicing head D, the piston of the air cylinder 83 pushes the take-off table 77 inward towards the splicing head D and repositions the edge of the tail end of stock against the stock aligning bar 31 preparatory to a new splicing stroke.

The pneumatic system of the apparatus, which operates the splicing jaws and the take-off table 77 is shown schematically in FIGURE 12. The system comprises a compressor motor 9 2, a compressor pump 93, an accumulator 94, three solenoid operated valves $5, 96 and 97, pneumatic bags 44 to operate the lower splicing jaws 21 and 22, eight air cylinders 36 to operate the upper splicing jaws l2 and 13, and an air cylinder 83 to shift the take-off table 77. The valves $5, 96 and 97 control the delivery of pressure from the accumulator 94 to the cylinders 36, the cylinder 83, and the air bags 44, respectively.

The pistons 39 of the air cylinders 36 are spring biased to their uppermost positions to normally hold the upper jaws 12 and 13 in their uppermost stock receiving position. The solenoid operated valve 95 controls the supply of air under pressure to the cylinders 36 and is movable from a closed position cutting off the supply of air to the cylinders and venting the cylinders to atmosphere to an open position to supply air under pressure to the cylinders as shown in FIGURE 12.

The air cylinder 83 for actuating the delivery table 77 is operable to shift the table toward or away from the splicing head D. The solenoid operated valve 96 controls the supply of air under pressure to the cylinder 83 and is movable from a position where it admits pressure to one end of the cylinder 33 and vents the other end to the atmosphere to activate the piston in one direction, to a second position where the connections are reversed to activate the cylinder in the opposite direction.

The solenoid valve 97 controls the delivery of air under pressure to the pneumatic bags 44 and is movable from a position where it connects the bags to a pressure source to a position where it cuts off the pressure and connects the bags to a pressure relief line 98. A pressure regulating valve 99 in the pressure relief line 98 maintains a predetermined reduced pressure in the bags 44 during the downward movement of the splicing jaws and thus maintains gripping pressure between the upper and lower jaws during the splicing operation. The valve 97 is held in its pressure relieving position during the downward movement of the splicing jaws and is moved to pressure supplying position to return the lower jaws 21 and 22 to their uppermost positions.

The valve 95 is actuated to supply pressure to the cylinders 36 to cause the splicing jaws to grip the work and swing downwardly to make the splice. After the splicing stroke the valve 95 is moved to its pressure cnt-ofi and venting position to permit the spring biased pistons 39 to return the upper jaws 12 and 13 to their uppermost positions.

The valve 96 is in position to apply pressure to the cylinder 83 to press the table 77 toward the splicing head during the splicing stroke and is shifted to reverse the pressure and move the table 77 away from the splicing head after the completion of the splicing stroke.

The valve 97 is moved to its pressure relieving position at the beginning of the splicing stroke and is moved to its pressure supplying position to inflate the air bags 94 and move the lower jaws to their uppermost positions at the end of the splicing cycle.

At the start of each splicing operation the splicing jaws 12, 13, 2 1 and 22 are in their uppermost positions as shown in FIGURE 4, the spliced strip is positioned with its trailing edge in engagement with the positioning bar 31, and the take-off rollers are stopped. A stripto be spliced is placed on the conveyor belts 60 which are driven to advance the piece toward the splicer head until the leading edge of the material is engaged with the positioning bar 31. When the piece to be spliced reaches this position the movement of the belts 60 is stopped and after a short time interval the cylinders 36 are actuated to press the jaws downwardly. At the beginning of the downward movement of the splicer jaws the valve 97 is actuated to connect the air bags 44 to the relief line 8 to relieve the pressure so that the pressure of the jaws against the work is gradually decreased as the jaws move downwardly, the regulating valve 99 being set to main tain a low predetermined pressure in the bags 44 to maintain a sufficient clamping pressure on the material to firmly hold it while the edges are being pressed together to form the splice. When the splicing jaws reach their lowermost position shown in FIGURE 5 the pressure is maintained on the upper jaws 12 and 13 for a predetermined short period of time to cause sufficient flow of the uncured rubber at the splice between the edges of the sheet material being spliced to insure firm adhesion between the said edges. After this short lapse of time, the valve 95 is returned to its normal position where it vents pressure from the upper ends of the cylinders to the atmosphere so that the biasing springs return the pistons 39 to their uppermost positions and lift the upper jaws 12 and 13 to the position shown in FIGURE 13.

The pull out roller 85 is then driven for a predetermined short interval of time to pull out a length of spliced strip corresponding to the width of the piece that has been spliced to it and simultaneously the cylinder 83 is actuated to pull the takeoff table 77 away from the splicer head D to quickly move the trailing end of the spliced strip to a position clear of the grippers. The valve 97 is then actuated to again apply pressure to the air bags 44 to raise the roller jaws 21 and 22 to their uppermost position shown in FIGURE 4. By this time the rollers 85 will have been stopped and the cylinders 83 are actuated in the reverse direction to move the table '77 toward the splicer head to push the trailing edge of the spliced strip back over the lower jaws 21 into position against the positioning bar 31. A piece of material to he spliced to the strip is then placed upon the conveyors 6t) and fed into engagement with the splicer head after which the above described cycle of operations is repeated.

The operation of the feed, the splicing jaws and the take-off in the sequence above described may be obtained in various ways but it is preferred that suitable automatically operated controls be provided.

For purposes of illustration, an electrical system for controlling the successive operations durin the splicing cycle is schematically illustrated in FIGURE 15 of the drawings in which the various switches, timer and time delay relays and solenoids for eiiecting the actuation of the various parts in proper sequence are illustrated in a simplified diagram in which the switches, motors, solenoids, timer and time delay relays are shown in a series of horizontally disposed lines forming parts of the control circuit which for convenience of description are numbered from 1 to 14, the switches being posit1oned as shown at the beginning of each splicing cycle.

The control circuit includes a drive motor 65A (line 5) for the feed belts 60, a drive motor 85A (line 2) for the pull rollers, solenoids 95a and 95b for operating the valve 95 to deliver pressure to the cylinders 9'6, solenoids 96a (line 12) and 96b (line 3) actuating the valve in to shift the table 77 toward and away from the splicing head I), and a solenoid 9712 (line 13) to actuate the valve 7 g to inflate the air bag. A photo-electric switch 101 positioned over the feed ta'ble adjacent the splicer head as shown in FIGURE 1 initiates the operation of timing devlces which control the operation of the feed motor and the movements of the splicer jaws to grip the material to be spliced and press the edges thereof together, release the grippers and pull the spliced strip to a positron clear of the grippers when the light beam is interrupted, and initiates the operation of the strip positioning and splicer jaw resetting mechanisms when the material has passed beyond it. The switch 101 has four pairs of contacts 101a (line 3), Itlib (line 4), little (line 6) and 101d (line 7). The control circuit also includes a timer 102 10 (line 4 and time delay relays 163 (line 7), 104 (line 3), 105 (line 9), 106 (line 10) and 107 (line 14). The circuit also includes a safety switch 1% (line 2) on the delivery table 77 as indicated in FIGURE 1 which is normally held closed by the material resting on the table. The cam operated switch 109 has two pairs of contacts 109a (line 2) and 1091') (line 3). The cam operated switch 110 has two pairs of contacts 1 10a (line 8) and 1101) (line 9). The switches 109 and 110 are operated by the earns 54 and 55 connected to the upper splicer jaw 13 as shown in FIGURES l3 and 14.

Manually operable switches are provided as follows: a splicer reset switch 111 (line 13), a feed motor starting switch 112 (line 9), emergency stop and reset switches 113 and 114; (line 1); switches controlled by timing devices are 102w (line 14), 1021) (line 2), 103a (line 5), ltifib (line 11), 104a (line 3), 105a (line 11), 196a (line 13), 107a (line 11) and 107!) (line 12).

The switch 10% is held by the cam 54 and roller 56 in a position closing the contacts 1Il9a and 10% when the jaws are in their uppermost position. In all other positions of the upper splicing jaws the contacts who and 10% are open. The contacts 16% and with control the supply of current to the pull roller motor A and the feed motor 65A and permit operation of these motors only while the jaws I2 and 13 are in their uppermost position.

The switch 110 is held by the cam 55 in a position opening the contacts 110a and 11% when the upper splicing jaws 12 and 13 are in their lowermost position, the contacts llliia and 11% being closed at all other times. Opening of the contacts 110a and 11% at the end of the splicing stroke initiates the action of the time delay relays IM and N5 which act to close the contacts Iii la and open the contacts 105a after predetermined time intervals. The opening of contacts 195a causes the upper splicing jaws to be lifted after a predetermined dwell in their lowermost splicing position and the contacts 104a are closed after the opening of contacts 105a to start the pull roller motor.

With the contacts positioned as indicated in FIGURE 15, momentary closing of the switch 112 starts the feed motor 65A and energizes the holding contactors 65b to maintain the flow of current to the motor which drives the conveyor belts 6G to feed a piece of material to be spliced toward the splicer head D. When the piece of material intercepts the light beam of the photoelectric switch till the switch is activated to close contacts 101a to condition the circuit of the pull roller motor 35A for subsequent operation, to open the contacts 16112 to isolate the starting switch 112, to open the contacts this to reset the timer 102, open the contacts 192a and close contacts 10%. Opening the contacts 162a initiates action of the time delay relay 1W7 which times the closing of contacts 1ii7a and opening of contacts Itlib in the circuit of the solenoids a and 96a and 97a to act in conjunction with the time delay relays MP3, 165 and 1% to control the splicing stroke and the subsequent operations of the pull out rollers 85 and the table shifting, cylinder 83.

Closing the contacts Iltllld energizes the time delay relay M3 to open the contacts 103a to stop the feed motor 65A after a time interval sufficient to move the piece to be spliced into engagement with the positioning bar 31 and to close contacts 1%!) to complete the circuit through contacts a and previously closed contacts 107a to energize the solenoid 95a of the valve 95 to supply pressure to the cylinders 36 to impart the splicing stroke to the splicing jaws.

Time delay relay 1% which was energized upon the closing of the contacts 103d opens the contacts 106a after a slight delay to de-energize solenoid 97a and permit the valve 97 which is 'biased toward its pressure relieving po sition to connect the air bags 4-5 to the relief line 98 so that the pressure in the bags is reduced to the low pressure maintained by the regulating valve 99 during the splicing stroke.

At the completion of the splicing stroke the contacts 11% and 1115 are opened to initiate the action of time delay relays 1M and W and close 164a and open 105a after predetermined time intervals. Contacts 105a are opened after a predetermined dwell of the splicer jaws in their lowermost splicing position to break the circuit of solenoid 95a and permit the valve 95 to move to its pres sure relieving position toward which it is biased to release the pressure in the cylinders 36 and permit the spring biased pistons 39 to move upward to raise the upper jaws 13 and 14 to their uppermost positions and close the contacts and 10%. The time delay relay 104 times the closing of contacts lil ia after closing of the contacts 1499a to complete the circuit through contacts 101a, 199a and 10% to start the motor 85A and energize holding contacts 85]). The solenoid 96b is in parallel with the motor 85A so that the table 77 is shifted away from the splicing head D simultaneously with the operation of the motors. The material is quickly drawn past the photo-electric switch 1191, and the contacts 101a, 161b, 101a, and 101d are restored to the positions shown in FIGURE 15. Closing ltllc acts through timer 102 to reclose 102a and reopen 10217 after a short time interval sufficient to allow the trailing end of the spliced strip to be moved past the positioning bar 31. The reopening of contacts 1422b stops the motor 85A and de-energizes the solenoid 96b. The reopening of contacts 101d after actuation of the pull out rollers 85 and delivery table 77 permits 10312 to reopen before the contacts 102a are closed to prevent energization of the solenoid 95a and to cle-energize relay 106 to permit reclosing of contacts 106a to lift the lower splicing jaws to their uppermost position and re-energization of relay 107 causes contacts 107b to reclose to shift the table 77 inwardly to position the trailing end of the spliced strip in engagement with the positioning bar 31. This completes the switching cycle and another cycle can be initiated by again starting the feed motor by means of the switch 112 to advance another piece to be spliced.

If for any reason the motor 85A should not be stopped at the proper time the safety switch 108 will open and stop the motor before the trailing edge of the spliced strip has been passed through the pull out rollers.

The reset switch 111 is in parallel with the contacts 102a and may be opened manually to effect the final operations of the cycle should the contacts 102a fail to close at the proper time.

It is quite essential that mechanisms designed to position for splicing cord fabric bias cut to the angularities commonly used in tire carcass plies be capable of accurately positioning in parallel relation the diagonally disposed edges to be spliced. In the machine of the present invention, the bias cut pieces to be spliced are accurately positioned by the guide rail 72, the angularly disposed brush idlers 73 and the conveyor belts 60 which have their delivery disposed along a line substantially parallel to the splicing head D and positioning bar 31 as shown in FIG- URE 1. To obtain accurate positioning of the trailing end of the spliced strip the delivery table 77 is provided near the ends thereof adjacent the splicing head with the guide 91 and wrinkle bar 91 which are disposed parallel to the splicing head D as shown in FIGURE 1. Bias cut tire cord fabric has maximum flexibility along lines parallel to its reinforcing cords. During the return movement of the delivery table toward the splicing head, the trailing end portion of the spliced strip is pushed longitudinally over the top face of the lower splicing jaw 23, and frictional resistance to the sliding movement of the strip has a tendency to cause an upward buckling of the strip. If this buckling is not parallel to the cords, the bend will be wider and of less curvature and is apt to lessen the longitudinal thrust on the diagonally disposed edges to an extent such that proper engagement with the positioning bar is not obtained. Confining the bending to a line parallel to the cords is of particular importance in the splicing of fabric having relatively stiff cords such as those formed of metallic wire.

The guide 90 prevents excessive bulging and the wrinkle bar 91 causes the bend to be along a line parallel to the cords. The bar 91 also serves to resist slippage of the fabric on the supporting table during the return movement of the table 77, and maintain an effective thrust to the fabric being pushed into the splicer.

During the outward movement of the table 77 the bar 91 offers small resistance to the sliding movement of the fabric since it engages the fabric along lines of maximum flexibility, and when the table 77 reaches its outward limit of movement and the pull out rollers are stopped, the fabric strip quickly falls by gravity into full engagement with the supporting bed and with the bar 91 to provide effective end thrust on the trailing edge of the strip during the return movement of the table.

It will be understood that the above description is by way of illustration rather than limitation and that, in accordance with the provisions of the patent laws, variations and modifications of the specific machines herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim: 7

1. A method of splicing tire cord fabric edge-to-edge parallel to the cords which comprises supporting the edges to be spliced in closely spaced parallel relation with portions of the pieces of sheet material adjacent said edges positioned generally in oppositely inclined planes, gripping the portions of each of said pieces adjacent the edge, simultaneously moving said gripped portions angularly toward a position of alinement to bring said edges into engagement and to press said edges together while said gripped portions of the pieces of sheet material are moving toward said position of alinement.

2. The method of splicing tire cord fabric set forth in claim 1 in which each piece of sheet material is gripped at spaced points along the length of its edge, the gripped portions of one of said pieces being opposite the spaces between the gripped portions of the other.

3. The method of splicing tire cord fabric as set forth in in claim 2 in which each of the gripped portions of each of the cord fabric pieces extends inwardly from the edge to be joined over a plurality of the parallel cords nearest said edge to hold said cords against displacement during the application of edge-to-edge pressure.

4. The method of splicing tire cord fabric as set forth in claim 3 in. which the gripping pressure on the cord fabric is reduced during the pressure applying movement.

5. Apparatus for splicing pieces of sheet material edgeto-edge comprising a splicing toggle composed of two pairs of clamping jaws with edge portions for gripping the pieces to be spliced along the edges to be joined, means pivotally mounting said pairs of jaws to extend toward one another and to swing vertically about spaced parallel axes, the edge portions of the jaws being closely adjacent at small angles of inclination to the plane of said axes, means for moving the jaws of each pair into and out of their gripping position, means for positioning the jaws in gripping engagement with the pieces to be spliced and in upwardly inclined positions where the gripping edges of the opposed pairs of jaws and the edges of the pieces of material tobe spliced are aligned and spaced slightly apart, and means for swinging the pairs of jaws simultaneously downward while in gripping engagement with said pieces while maintaining the alignment of said jaws and said pieces to be spliced to engage the edges of said pieces and apply toggle action pressure thereto.

6. Apparatus for splicing sheet material edge-to-edge as set forth in claim 5 in which the gripping edge portions of each of the clamping jaws are in the form of spaced projecting fingers so disposed that the fingers of one pair of clamping jaws enter between the fingers of the other.

7. Apparatus for splicing pieces of sheet material edgeto-edge comprising a splicing toggle composed of two pairs of clamping jaws with edge portions for gripping the pieces to be spliced along the edges to be joined, means pivotally mounting said pairs of jaws to extend toward one another and to swing vertically about spaced parallel axes, the edge portions of the jaws being closely adjacent at small angles of inclination to the plane of said axes, the jaws of each pair being relatively movable into and out of their gripping position, means for positioning the pairs of jaws in upwardly inclined positions with the jaws of each pair separated and the edges of the lower jaws in alignment to permit entry between them of pieces to be spliced, means for positioning pieces to be spliced between said pairs of jaws with their edges parallel and spaced slightly apart, means for closing said jaws and swinging the same simultaneously downwardly while maintaining the jaws and pieces to be joined in alignment during the downward movement to engage the edges of said pieces and apply toggle action pressure thereto.

8. Apparatus for splicing sheet material edge-to-edge as set forth in claim 7 in which means are provided for opening the jaws while in their lowered position, for pulling out the spliced material, for repositioning the jaws in their upper stock receiving position, for placing the trailing edge of the last spliced piece and the edge of another piece of sheet material in opposed splicing position.

9. Apparatus for splicing sheet material edge-to-edge as set forth in claim 7 in which the means for positioning the pieces to be spliced includes a positionin bar that is disposed between the free edge portions of the two pairs of clamping jaws when the jaws are in their uppermost position to engage the adjacent edges of the two pieces to be spliced along the length of said edges.

19. Apparatus for splicing sheet material edge-to-edge as set forth in claim 7 in which means is provided for reducing the gripping pressure in the pieces being spliced during the downward stroke.

11. Apparatus for splicing sheet material edge-to-edge as set forth in claim 7 in which means is provided for exerting a downward pressure on the upper gripping jaws to grip the pieces to be spliced and to swing the jaws downwardly and in which pneumatic cushioning means is provided for yieldingly resisting the downward movements of the gripping jaws and for maintaining a gripping pressure on the pieces being spliced during the splicing stroke.

12. Apparatus for splicing sheet material edge-to-edge as set forth in claim 11 in which the cushioning means is in the form of an inflatable air bag and in which means is provided for reducing the pressure in the bag during the splicing stroke.

13. Apparatus for splicing pieces of tire cord fabric of parallelogram form which have spaced cords parallel to two of their sides edge-to-edge at edges parallel to the cords which comprises a splicing toggle composed of two pairs of clamping jaws with edge portions for gripping the pieces to be spliced along the edges to be joined, said edge portions of the jaws of each pair being in the form of spaced projecting fingers that are in vertical alignment and the fingers of each pair of jaws being positioned opposite the spaces between the fingers of the other pair of jaws, and of a width to enter said spaces, said gripping portions of each pair of clamping jaws being of a width to receive between them a plurality of cords adjacent the edge of a piece of tire cord fabric, means for positioning the pairs of jaws in upwardly inclined positions with the jaws of each pair separated and with the edge portions of the lower jaws in alignment to permit entry of the pieces to be spliced, means for positioning the pieces to be spliced between the jaws with the edges to be joined parallel and close together, means for closing said jaws and swinging the same simultaneously downwardly while maintaining the jaws and pieces to be joined in alignment 14 to engage said edges and apply toggle action pressure thereto.

14. Apparatus for splicing tire cord fabric as set forth in claim 13 in which means is provided for applying downward pressure to the upper jaws to move them into gripping engagement with the work and to move the jaws downwardly and in which means is provided for yieldably resisting the downward movement of the jaws to maintain clamping pressure during the splicing stroke.

15. Apparatus for splicing ti-re cord fabric as set forth in claim 14 in which means is provided for decreasing the yielding resistance to downward movement to lessen the gripping pressure as the jaws move downwardly.

16. Apparatus for splicing tire cord fabric as set forth in claim 15 in which means is provided for moving the upper jaws both upwardly and downwardly, means for limiting the upward and downward movements of said upper jaws and in which the lower jaws are yieldably supported by means of an inflatable air bag, means for inflating said bag to move the lower jaws upwardly, means being provided for limiting the upward movement of the lower jaws at a position where the jaws are spaced apart when the upper jaws are in their uppermost position.

17. Apparatus for splicing tire cord fabric as set forth in claim 16 in which means is provided for relieving the pressure in the air bag to reduce the gripping pressure toward the end of the splicing stroke.

18. Apparatus for splicing pieces of bias cut tire cord fabric of parallelogram form which have cords parallel to two of their edges and disposed at an acute angle with respect to the other two edges which comprises a splicing head having two pairs of clamping jaws with spaced projecting fingers for gripping the pieces at the edges to be joined, the fingers of each pair of jaws being in vertical alignment, the spaces between the projecting fingers of each pair of jaws being of a width to receive the fingers of the opposed pair of jaws, and the fingers of one pair of jaws being disposed opposite the spaces between the fingers of the other pair of jaws, means for moving the jaws into and out of gripping engagement, means for positioning the pieces to be spliced between the gripping jaws with their edges parallel and closely adjacent while said jaws are out of gripping engagement, means for moving the jaws into and out of gripping engagement, means for entering the gripping fingers of one pair of jaws into the spaces between the fingers of the other pair of jaws to press the pieces together edge-to-edge to form the splice, means for separating the jaws to release the fabric after the splicing operation, a shiftable take-oft table having a power-driven strip-pulling roller mounted thereon, means for simultaneously driving the said pulling roller and shifting the table away from the splicing head to advance the spliced strip past the gripping fingers, and means for stopping the pulling roller and shifting the table toward the splicing head while said jaws are separated to position the strip for a second splicing operation, said take-off table being provided with a generally flat strip-supporting bed, a wrinkler bar attached to said bed adjacent the end portion thereof nearest the splicing head and providing an upstanding rib on said bed extending parallel to the diagonally extending cords of the spliced strip for engaging the bottom surface of said strip to effect buckling of the strip, and means on said table between said bar and said splicing head for guiding the fabric.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,063,890 11/1962 Saumsiegle 156-306 3,100,731 8/1963 Brey 156-157 3,130,100 4/1964 Hasselquist l56l57 3,192,094 6/1965 Phillips et al l56--353 EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner. W. E. HOAG, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF SPLICING THE TIRE CORD FABRIC EDGE-TO-EDGE PARALLEL TO THE CORDS WHICH COMPRISES SUPPORTING THE EDGES TO BE SPLICED IN CLOSELY SPACED PARALLEL RELATION WITH PORTIONS OF THE PIECES OF SHEET MATERIAL ADJACENT SAID EDGES POSITIONED GENERALLY IN OPPOSITELY INCLINED PLANES, GRIPPING THE PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID PIECES ADJACENT THE EDGE, SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING SAID GRIPPED PORTIONS ANGULARLY TOWARD A PORTION OF ALINEMENT TO BRING SAID EDGES INTO ENGAGEMENT AND TO PRESS SAID EDGES TOGETHER WHILE SAID 